April 24, 2024

Time to celebrate: Winners in the Youth in Agriculture contest

By James Henry

Judges’ Favorite — Charlotte Jones of Benson, Illinois: It’s my first year in 4-H and I decided to enter the rabbit costume class. I dressed up as Luigi and my bunny, Dale, is Mario. We got reserve champion.

LA SALLE, Ill. — AgriNews is once again leading a celebration of youth in agriculture.

In 2020, after the cancellation of county fairs and state fairs, AgriNews launched its own 4-H contest online. Last year, the contest was expanded to also include FFA.

See all of the entries in AgriNews’ 2022 Celebrating Youth in Agriculture contest at: qr.shawlocal.com/youthinag22.

The public could vote for their favorite in each category once a day online. A panel of judges also picked their favorites.

Here are the 12 winners — the judges’ favorite and the people’s choice in the six categories: 4-H Livestock, sponsored by MacAllister Agriculture; 4-H Crops & Conservation, sponsored by NDY Manufacturing; 4-H Foods & Nutrition, sponsored by First State Bank Mendota; 4-H Arts & Crafts, sponsored by RJ Bowers; Mini 4-H, sponsored by Rohlfs Implement; and FFA Experiences, sponsored by Farmers National Bank.

Youths could enter multiple categories. Projects had to have been completed between Aug. 1, 2021, and July 28, 2022.

The Winners

4-H Livestock

Category sponsored by MacAllister Agriculture

People’s Choice — Rachel Eckert of Henry, Illinois: Here I am showing Marley, a Duroc gilt at the Marshall-Putnam 4-H Fair. I have enjoyed training her from when she was little and building a good relationship to make her a competitive show pig.

4-H Crops & Conservation

Category sponsored by NDY Manufacturing

Judges’ Favorite — Coban Parker of Columbia City, Indiana: This is my corn project. I enjoy spending time on the farm learning from my grandpa. I also enjoy learning the seed sales side from my mom. Farming is very important to our family. My grandpa is a first-generation farmer, and I hope to carry on the farm by becoming a third-generation farmer.

People’s Choice — Max Masters of Liberty, Illinois: Since my mom has had me recycling aluminum cans, plastic bottles and paper since I was old enough to walk, picking natural resources as a 4-H project seemed “natural.” I found the subject area fascinating. I loved learning about nature in our own backyard. From the trees to the birds to the insects, everything seemed to play its role in the cycle of life. Therefore, I felt like learning to protect nature’s delicate balance should be important to all of us. I wanted to do my part to protect Mother Earth. Thus, I decided to do my first-ever speech for 4-H communications on reusing, reducing and recycling to serve as an 8-year old conservation advocate. I was even selected as delegate and promoted my cause at the state level. While I did not place, the judges told me they would start recycling, making my overall outcome a success. I wanted my natural project to reflect my conservation theme. I was helping my mom water the garden when she told my about an old cistern they used. It collected rainwater and they utilized the water for plants. When I looked up cisterns on the internet, I became aware of the modern rainwater harvesting systems that are available today. Simply put, water is gathered through a collection system from gutters on the roof and goes through a filtration system before ending up in a holding tank. These systems are relatively cheap and provide free water that is better for watering plants than the treated water from the water company. Thus, I decided to build a mini rainwater harvesting system with a poster showing how it works and the basic benefits. My goal was demonstrating rainwater harvesting is an easy and thrifty way to conserve water. I was so proud when I received grand champion at the Adams County Fair and over the moon to earn champion at the Illinois State Fair. Next year, I plan on taking natural resources again to focus on water pollution and suggest possible solutions. I want to make a difference and show that we can all take small steps to lessen our environmental footprint.

4-H Foods & Nutrition

Category sponsored by First State Bank Mendota

Judges’ Favorite — Norah Rorem of  Wyoming, Illinois: My 4-H project is in food preservation. I used the boiling water bath method to make sweet relish and kosher dill pickles. I used cucumbers that I have planted and grown from my own garden with my family. Growing a garden is something I do every year with my family every summer and always brings me memories of years before. When I open a jar of pickles and relish during year, it brings back memories of planting, growing and harvesting the produce from my garden with my family.

People’s Choice — Allison Szostak of Coulterville, Illinois: This project is about how much sugar you intake. I didn’t realize how much sugar I was ingesting daily, so I created this poster for awareness.

4-H Arts & Crafts

Category sponsored by RJ Bowers

Judges’ Favorite — Addy Solomonson of Gridley, Illinois: Here I am exhibiting a vase of paper flowers — the vase is also made of paper — that I made for my visual arts exhibit. The flowers are in various shades of blue, purple, green and yellow. I enjoyed making the different flowers and using some different techniques to make different types of flowers and it was a unique way to use up some odds and ends paper pieces in my supply. Now I have flowers that don’t need water and will always be in bloom to decorate my room.

People’s Choice — Charli Walters of Clay City, Indiana: This project — a watermelon pillow sham with strips of patchwork, zipper and chenille — is important to me because I’m learning the fundamentals, and I get to spend time with my grandma who helps me on my project.

Mini 4-H

Category sponsored by Rohlfs Implement

Judges’ Favorite — Raylen Campbell of McNabb, Illinois: I’m 6 years old and love gardening. We grow potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, cantaloupe, watermelon, peppers and some herbs. My favorite part of gardening is watering the plants and picking the vegetables when they are ready. Sometimes I eat them right in the garden, but sometimes we cook with them, too, or share them with friends. I like gardening because I can do it with my mom, dad and little sister.

People’s Choice — Clara Schnelle of Lockwood, Missouri: I made this blanket with help from my grandma. The best part about making this 4-H project is that I got to pick out the design I wanted to do and my grandma helped me.

FFA Experiences

Category sponsored by Farmers National Bank

Judges’ Favorite — Josie Kelsay of Franklin, Indiana: My favorite FFA memory would have to be qualifying for the World Dairy Expo judging contest. This is one of my favorite memories because my sister and I and my good friend, Grace, all got to go to World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, to compete nationally for dairy judging. We had a blast and had so much fun getting the opportunity to compete. It was fun to meet other teams across the nation and be able to judge some pretty good looking cows.

People’s Choice — Brody Polesel of Whiteland, Indiana: This picture is from our 2022 End of the Year Banquet. Pictured on the left is my friend, Cian, who was elected secretary that night. In the middle is Lilly, the graduating senior who welcomed us and taught us so much in the organization and industry. On the right is me, after being elected president. This is a night I will never forget because it was spent celebrating achievements with friends.

Farm Family LifeFFA4-HYoung Leaders
James Henry

James Henry

Executive Editor